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Spent August 17th-20th at the Lyell hut and climbed
Lyells1-4 on Friday August 19 and Lyell 5 on Saturday
the 20th.
An aggresive hike of over 6000ft was required to
reach the Lyell hut from the end of the Mons road. The Lyell icefield had
good coverage and only the biggest crevasses were visible and easy to walk
around. Most bergshrunds were still filled in. We gained the Lyell
glacier by going around Tivoli shoulder and traversing the White
Ledge.
We started the traverse from the North and peaks
1-3 went by quickly and easily. Lyell 4 (Walter) provided very steep snow
climbing, a snow covered 5.4 rock step and very careful cornice management along
the upper ridge (see photos). Tricky indeed. There is now a 2 piece
fixed station on top of the rock pinnicle at the base of the 5.4 step (piton and
wire).
We dropped off the West side of the 4/5 col to
get back to the hut Friday morning. This route is not described anywhere
but it is the safest (and easiest) way off of the ridge and gets you back to the
hut in about 45 minutes via the upper southewest Lyell glacier.
The Valenciennes road had a minor washout around
the 16km mark and required driving through about 50cms of water. The rest
of the road was completely passable but high clearance was nice to have a
couple of times.
Overall an amazing trip in a stunning
location. One of the most beautiful places I have visited in the
Rockies. Highly recommended.
Have fun!
Mike Stuart
CanadianAlpineGuides.com
On Twitter: @CdnAlpineGuides
Photo credits: Paul Zizka
Photography
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